Ready to Fall
by ZombieBlinky
Summary: Act I: The Man Behind the Curtain, Act II: Down the Rabbit Hole, Act III: Through the Looking Glass. AxY THREE-SHOT YAOI
1. Act I: The Man Behind the Curtain

_Okay, so this has been kicking around on my computer for a while. It's a Three-Shot that was inspired by my many theatrical pursuits. I hope you enjoy it as much as I liked writing it! It hasn't been beta'd, but I gave it a look over.  
__**  
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Gi Oh and I don't make a profit off of my work.**_

--::--

"Act well your part. There all the honor lies."

No words were ever truer.

Thespians obeyed this quote to the letter. They were the dedicated actors and techies who worked diligently with little or no pay to put forth their best efforts into creating a play.

To put on a performance had long since been considered a Herculean task. Only the steel-willed and stubborn ever attempted to try, and very few managed to reach the end of a play unscathed. Thespians were no doubt a force to be reckoned with. They were magical, proud people.

Either that or they were criminally insane.

Yeah, that was probably closer to the truth.

By no means was putting on a play a simple task. In fact, it was quite possibly one of the more difficult hobbies to accomplish – aside from wrestling bears. And Bear Wrestling might have been slightly harder. _Fractionally harder_. Listening to Leona's Lewis' _Bleeding Love_ for fifteen minutes straight did nothing to make the job any easier. If Yugi had to listen to just _one more_ another remixed atrocity that had been plaguing the musical world, he would have to be committed to a mental hospital. It was as simple as that…

"Hey Ryou – pull that rope a little bit tighter," Yugi shouted from the other side of the stage, "I can see the curtain sagging from here!" He gave the heavy curtain an experimental tug and was pleased to see his knots would hold. Hanging up the curtain was an unpleasant job – equal only in thrills to having teeth pulled. It was long, hard and sweaty work that was usually dumped on the technical crew. Yugi, decked out in his tight black jeans and matching leather shirt, was a techie. Which meant he possessed as many human rights as a half-dead fly. (Actually, the fly might have had more rights than him...) But during performances he gained superpowers. Temporary powers.

Like the ability to get away with waving a sword in an actor's face if they got too close to the prop table.

Yugi figured he could probably get away with homicide on a massive level if he wanted to...

Not surprisingly, fate sometimes decided to pity poor overworked tech members – yet at the same time fate enjoyed pointing and laughing at techies behind their backs… Or to their faces. Usually to their face. So Yugi was certain he had a type of "Hate-Love" relationship sort of thing going on with Fate at the moment. They seriously needed to go to counseling.

The number of crew members for the play Robin Hood was at the magical number of two. Yes, two. Two techies. No more, no less. The number made Yugi feel ill. Yugi's sole crewmate was a girl named Anzu Mazaki. She was a pretty brunette, who was strangely cheerful – all while being extremely neurotic. Yugi could spot Anzu running around with an armful of spray cans, attempting to fix set pieces, spray paint a log, and make a long line of peasants look dirty. Yugi almost laughed aloud as she accidentally spray painted the sheriff of Nottingham's hair red. Was Yugi worried? Well if he wasn't, the techie would have to be admitted to the loony bin a lot sooner than he originally thought…

Three actors who had finished putting on make-up and their costumes were helping Yugi hang the curtain. He was practically delirious with joy – since he could barely lift the curtain past his waist. Before they came to his rescues, Yugi had been wondering how he was going to fight gravity long enough to hang the dead weight. The lone crew member had shyly thanked them for their help before dutifully turning to the small strings that needed to be knotted around fragile looking hooks. Yugi had been skeptical of their strength at first since the curtain was stupidly heavy and the tiny hooks looked frail compared to the bulky cloth. However, they had surprisingly done their job so far – and Yugi certainly wasn't complaining.

Yugi, Yami, Joey, and Ryou all worked in silence. In the four months that they had been working together, none had ever talked to Yugi before. As much as Yugi hated to speak about the age old war between actors and techies, it applied in this instance. Tech just usually worked separately from Actors. There wasn't a lot of time for interaction between the two groups – which was part of the reason Yugi was so shocked these three had volunteered to help him.

They worked in tense silence for a moment, before the constant singing of Leona Lewis and his straining patience finally caused Yugi's nerves to be set aflame. (Was it too much to ask for a variety?) He decided that if he was going to be utterly silent around his three companions – he would at least try to distract himself from the Leona's wailing. And that was when Yugi very dramatically, and very un-Yugi like, began to hum "Eye of the Tiger" as loud as he possibly could.

He hadn't expected anyone to join in. In fact, he wouldn't have been surprised if they had given him a few looks – or even jerked the ladder out from under his feet to get him to stop. So that was why he was stunned, when Ryou – an albino who was quite possibly even shyer than himself – broke in and began humming in unison. In a truly theatrical fashion, Yami and Jou both joined in with the lyrics. Bobbing their heads in unison and grinning widely at each other as they sang, they didn't even bother to question the absurdity of the situation.

Don't _**you**_ break out in random song and dance?

Eat your heart out Walt Disney and High school musical.

So now, twenty minutes later (with Bleeding Love _still_ on loop), the violet haired youth balanced precariously on the top step of a flimsy ladder with his new comrades. Heights didn't agree with Yugi very well. The ladder swayed uncertainly before Yugi gave a strangled cry and clung to the thin metal desperately.

"Can I come down now?" He pleaded, just as another version of Bleeding Love began playing. Yugi suppressed a groan of agony. At one point in time – Yugi actually enjoyed listening to the song. But now the teenager firmly believed that even mentioning the words "Bleeding Love" in the same sentence was a crime punishable by death; "On second thought – I think I'm ready to fall now."

A loud bark of laughter sent vibrations up the ladder, causing Yugi to scramble for a firm hold. He glared down at the person who was doing a poor job at holding his bridge of safety steady. Katsuya Jounichi grinned wolfishly at Yugi's reaction, leaning heavily against the aluminum ladder. "No Yug'!" He cried mockingly, "Don't let Leona Lewis win! It's not worth it!"

Yugi rolled his eyes, "That's what you think," He grumbled before daring to loosen his death-grip on the steps.

"Will you at least warn me before you jump?" Jou drawled, "I don't want ya to crush me with your ninety pounds of suicidal fury."

The airborne techie could do little more than glare and hiss at the arrogant actor.

"Once I get down from here, I'm going to cut off your _**Little John**_," Yugi threatened darkly, making a reference to the character Jou played.

"Oh, clever," Jou grinned before giving the ladder an experimental wiggle. Yugi shrieked before hugging the ladder so tightly against his chest, the metal dug into his skin through his leather shirt.

"I'm sorry!" Yugi said meekly, "Please don't let me die!"

Yami – who held the role of Robin Hood – grunted under his breath as he held up the bulk of the heavy curtain. His arms strained under the ridiculous weight and he snarled darkly as Jou gave Yugi's ladder another sharp prod. The poor techie broke off his pleas with a cry before letting out a string of profanities. Yami's arms were beginning to cramp up from holding the curtains in a strange position for such a long period of time. Jou was also beginning to grind on his nerves with his constant teasing.

"Can you hold off on having this charming conversation at a later time?" Yami snarled, feeling his diaphragm slowly being crushed under the curtain. He slid angry ruby eyes towards a snickering Jou – who found his predicament absolutely hilarious, "Unless you'd prefer to take my place Jou?" He snapped.

Jou automatically quieted but the shit-eating grin never left his face for an instant. Yami was faintly appeased at the apologetic look his fellow actor shot him, but he had learned by now to take the blonde's actions with a grain of salt. Jou never meant to intentionally hurt someone. He was basically a big puppy.

But still… that big puppy was prolonging his suffering.

Ryou chuckled softly from his ladder on the other side of the stage. The albino – who played King Richard – wasn't afraid of heights so no one was needed to hold his ladder. But he was having difficulty mastering the knots that Yugi was using to tie the curtain up, causing his side to sag sadly under the weight. Yami gave a muffled curse as his legs began to buckle.

"I hate you _all_." The actor announced. Yugi just snickered and leaned over the edge of the ladder to reach for another hook. It was just out of his reach. The techie sighed in frustration before motioning to Jou that he was coming down. The blond pulled away from the ladder to give Yugi enough room to squeeze his way down. Once they shifted the ladder, Yami promptly shoved the curtain into Jou's arms. The blond actor stumbled under the weight and his eyes went comically wide.

"Shit! Man this is heavy!"

"_**Really**_?" Yami smirked viciously as he helped Yugi shift the ladder into position. "I'm glad you think so, it's your job now."

Yugi snickered as he climbed back into position, once again reaching for the hooks that had been previously out of reach. He looked shyly down at Yami, who was doing a considerably better job at holding the ladder steady than Jou had. The actor tilted his head to meet Yugi's gaze and chuckled knowingly at the other's look, "You're welcome." He murmured quietly, just softly enough for the techie to hear him.

Yugi blinked and his heart thumped against his chest at Yami's patient smile. He looked away from that crimson gaze and focused back on his work. No, he wasn't blushing. Of course he wasn't. That would be just silly.

Oh crap he was blushing wasn't he?

--::--

Yugi found himself very red in the face on three separate occasions after that

"_I'm so sorry_!" Yugi all but shrieked as he stared in horror at what he had done to Robin Hood's face. Yami blinked at his blackened reflection in surprise and raised his hand to try and settle the frantic stage hand.

"It's alri-" He began, but was only drowned out by more desperate pleas of forgiveness by the contrite Yugi. This was _exactly_ the reason why Yugi was not a make-up tech! He couldn't put make up on to save his life!

After helping Yugi hang up the curtain, some of Yami's make up had smudged and ran. Obviously feeling guilty since Yami's make up had gotten messed up as a result of the other helping Yugi hang the curtain. Yugi wanted to make it up and help Yami reapply his make-up. Only for his attempts to fail pathetically short.

Yami grabbed a hold of Yugi's wrists and gave him a stern look to interrupt Yugi's wails of apology. "Yugi!" He said sharply, "It's fine! We can fix it no problem." He smiled gently at the other and slowly let go of Yugi's hands.

To prove his point, Yami went to the sink and cleaned his face so they could start over. He gestured for Yugi to sit down on the fold out seat and he smirked wickedly. "But you can't expect me to simply let you go unpunished for such a mistake, can you?" He demanded with a teasing grin. The tech's eyes widened comically wide at Yami's statement and attempted to bolt for the door, seeing the make-up brush in Yami's hands as the weapon it truly was.

The actor just laughed at Yugi's escape attempt and just pushed him back into the chair. Yami bent over Yugi to trap him in his seat. Yugi blushed vividly at their close proximity and tried to turn his head away which only resulted in Yami grabbing his chin gently and forcing Yugi to look at him. "Uh uh. I'm not having any of that." The actor purred before gently tapping the brush over Yugi's flushed cheeks.

"This is assault!" Yugi squeaked pitifully under Yami's ministrations. He tried futilely not to think about how nice it felt for the other to touch him. The actor's hand was strong, but gentle, guiding Yugi's face as make up was applied. Yugi's heart thudded painfully in his chest as he listened to Yami chuckle deeply over his work. The other had such a rich voice, authoritative and smooth. It really was no wonder why he had been cast as Robin Hood. Yami was an impressive person on his own.

"Well then I have no problem with assaulting you," Yami smirked at his prisoner before pulling away, "There, done!" He grinned.

Yugi moaned and reached for the hand mirror, "What have you _done_ to me you crazy– " Yugi trailed off with a horrified squeak and leapt to his feet. Rosy red cheeks, dark purple eye shadow with matching lipstick and mascara decorated Yugi's face. The tech reached for Yami, who was currently too busy roaring with laughter to notice the murderous glint in Yugi's eye, "If you find dressing me in drag hilarious, just wait until what I do to _you_!"

The she-male lunged for the actor with a vicious roar, surprising Yami out of his stupor enough to try and make a break for it. Yugi caught him around the ankles and managed to drag the actor to the floor, make-up brush in hand and wielded as if it were a sword.

Anzu had found both twenty minutes later, caked in make-up and rolling around in garbage bags. She had been torn between screaming at them and laughing hysterically. She managed to pull herself together long enough to sternly tell Atemu to finish getting ready. This time he would apply his make up without the aid of the inexperienced Yugi.

--::--

"What? No happy 'hello'?" Yami asked the girl playing Maid Marian. Yugi sighed as he watched the scene. Yami would untie her, the girl, Serenity, would scream that it was a trap, and then an impressive sword fight would break loose on stage. The sword fights always had Yugi anxious. They were using real, fine-edged swords for the stage combat. While they only used the flats of the blades, they could still hurt and break bones if swung hard enough. Yugi watched as, on cue, Serenity revealed the trap and Yami was swarmed with palace guards.

The fight was truly of the epic sort and one could hardly tell it had been staged. Yami swung and fought with the ferocity of a king defending his land and queen.

Yugi held his breath and chewed on his bottom lip anxiously as he watched Yami sink to his knees as the attack began to overpower him. It was all part of the play, but it was done so realistically, Yugi couldn't help but feel overcome with worry. Luckily, the King's Guard took that time to intervene, a stalwart fellow who went by the name of Bakura. He snarled for silence in the presence of the king, and Ryou calmly stepped up onto a tree stump to capture the attention of the audience and actors.

Yugi kept his eyes trained on Yami and fought a sigh of relief. Yami knelt down humbly before Ryou, a scene that Yugi thought looked ridiculous. He knew what would happen next. Ryou, King Richard, would announce Robin Hood's innocence, and Maid Marion would kiss her love. For some reason, Yugi didn't really want to see that. He quietly excused himself from the gathered crowd backstage and darted off to find something to busy himself.

Really, he was being silly wasn't he?

--::--

Yugi grunted and struggled under the weight of the prop box he was holding. He was currently in the process of locking up the things for the night after their first successful show. There would be two more shows on separate days and Yugi hoped they'd be hits like the premiere. The tech gasped as the box slipped from his grasp and crashed to the floor. Yugi swore violently as a small treasure box dropped on his foot, introducing the techie to a whole new realm of swear words that had previously gone unspoken before.

"You know if you needed help you could have just asked." A voice said flatly off to Yugi's right. The techie spun, his eyes flying open wide at the thought that someone had walked in on him not only dropping all the precious props to the play but also caught him swearing like a sailor. He groaned as he saw who it was. Yami came towards him, dressed in his street clothes and a pack tossed over his shoulder carelessly. He crouched down and began to gather some of the abused props.

"I didn't know help was being offered," Yugi said glumly as he too bent down to help Yami, "You know you don't have to help me. You must be tired after being under the hot lights and sword fighting." He said sheepishly as he picked up a bread roll.

Yami smirked slightly and set the box in the right direction before he began to stow the props back in their proper place. "That's the problem with you Yugi." He chuckled, "You'll do everything on your own if it means you won't be inconvenient to someone."

Yugi blinked in surprise, "What makes you say that?"

The actor just shook his head and smiled broadly. He stowed the last pieces of the props away and leaned forward to brush a gentle kiss across Yugi's forehead. The tech blushed furiously at the small contact and stared at Yami in confusion. The actor just winked and picked the box up before stowing It away on a top shelf, just out of Yugi's reach.

"I'll see you tomorrow Yugi." He smirked before waving goodbye.

The tech watched Yami leave mutely, his hand raised to press against his forehead numbly. He flushed vividly as he remembered the soft caress of Yami's lips across his skin. Yugi wrapped his arms tightly around himself to try to stem the wild surge of confusion bubbling inside of him.

"Oh what the hell was that all about?" Yugi demanded, looking up at the prop box, sitting up on its shelf and looking deceptively innocent.

It made no reply to Yugi's question and the tech merely glared sourly at the inanimate object.

--::--

_This is the end of Act One. Act Two and Three will be posted soon._

I think I'm going on a writing binge. I'm not sure it's healthy, but oh well. I usually get like this around November anyway...

Drop a line and tell me what you thought!

ZB


	2. Act II: Down the Rabbit Hole

_**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! This three-shot is based roughly off of a romanticized version of a show I was involved in. May I stress the **__romanticized__** part?**_

_**I hope you all enjoyed that brief intermission, now begins 'Act II: Down the Rabbit Hole.'**_

--::--

It didn't take Yugi long to drag himself out of bed early the following morning.

His dreams had been filled with a ruby eyed hero who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Yugi had been a poor merchant who had one day been visited by the Guardian of Sherwood Forest himself.

Atemu had claimed he had something to give Yugi despite the fact that he brought nothing along with him. Curious, Yugi had questioned what the mysterious gift could be, but Atemu insisted on it being a surprise.

Calling out to Yugi, he had said if he wanted it, he would have to meet him at the edge of Sherwood Forest the following evening. Then the green clad hero had departed. But not first without planting a gentle kiss on Yugi's brow.

The fleeting brush of Atemu's lips had sent electricity down Yugi's spine and left him breathless. His ears rung from his dizziness and Yugi could only smile after the departing man. Unfortunately, when Atemu disappeared the ringing didn't. It only grew and grew until it was a blaring scream right next to Yugi's ear.

Yugi jerked awake, blinking groggily at his phone which was resting on his pillow. His hand crept up to his forehead where he could still feel Atemu's lips pressed against his skin. He fumbled for his phone, quite eager to see what had torn him out of such a lovely dream.

A cheerful text from Anzu reminded him that it was his turn to drag trees from last year's Haunted House out of the bottomless pit the stage manager called a 'prop closet.' It wasn't an event Yugi was looking forward to. It was probably some sort of sick revenge scheme Anzu had come up with to get back at Yugi for the little stunt he pulled with Yami in the make-up room. Regardless of the reason Yugi pulled himself out of bed with only a minimal amount of swearing.

The trees would be used to decorate the sides of the theatre to help the audience really feel as if they were in Sherwood Forest, which was the setting of the play. They weren't even remotely slightly heavy so it wasn't a huge task for Yugi to undertake. However that didn't mean he was remotely stoked about dealing with trees that had over a year's worth of grimy dust caked on top of them.

He could already hear his sinuses screaming in agony.

What was worse was the trees were nearly twice as tall as a regularly sized person. Yugi was by _no_ means tall. In fact, if someone asked for him to play basketball, they were most likely referring to mistaking him as the ball instead.

Yeah, he was really small.

Those trees towered over Yugi – which wasn't a huge problem since they were made out of spray on Styrofoam and papier-mâché – but their height made them very cumbersome. And with all the actors running around, it only boosted Yugi's chance of breaking one. He wasn't clumsy, but he wasn't a freaking ballerina either. That was Anzu's forte.

Yugi sighed as he pulled on the customary black clothing of a tech and finished getting ready. He walked out to his car but was stopped in mid-stride by a small whine at his heel followed quickly by a persistent tug at his pants leg. He sighed in exasperation at the little dog and picked the squirming puppy up.

"Kuri, you know you can't come with me to the show." Yugi rubbed the fluffy dog around the ears in apology, "Anzu might just have an aneurism if she sees you."

Really, his fellow techie had been working herself into a near – comatose state thanks to the play. They were _both_ being incredibly overworked to make the play run smoothly. Two techs to run a play? That was nearly impossible. Anzu was turning into a narcoleptic and Yugi into an insomniac thanks to their hectic schedules.

Yugi set Kuriboh down, doing his best to ignore the pleading eyes being sent his way. Yugi felt bad saying 'no' to his puppy, but he felt better almost as soon as a sheepish looking Jou popped into his mind. It was strange how strongly the expression on Kuriboh's face suddenly reminded him of Jou. He wondered if other people were reminded of Jou when they thought about puppies and made a mental note to stow that away for future knowledge.

Perhaps he should question Jou about that later. The resemblance between the actor and Kuriboh was absolutely uncanny!

Shaking the somewhat random thought aside, Yugi hurried to his car as he noticed he was just a tad late. Cursing himself for messing around with the dog instead of getting the show on the road, Yugi ran out to his car. He groaned as he remembered that he had forgotten to eat breakfast.

When Yugi arrived at the community center it took every ounce of his willpower not to scream in frustration. Utter chaos was laid before him and it stretched across each corner of the theatre. Actors were running around half dressed as they frantically tried to apply their makeup – they'd receive no help from Yugi – as he had already proven he couldn't make it as a makeup tech.

Not even if his life depended on it.

He turned towards the prop closet as he prepared himself to fetch the trees and begin setting them up. Yet no sooner had he taken two steps, two firm arms grasped him by the shoulder blades and dragged him away. Yugi looked up in shock to see none other than his partner in crime, Anzu, marching back towards the dressing rooms with murder in her eyes.

Uh oh. Was he in trouble?

"Wait! Anzu – I swear I didn't do anything this time!" Yugi protested wildly as he scrambled to keep up with the taller girl. The day had just started and Anzu already had fire in her eyes. Someone had screwed up bad enough to rile the peaceful girl and Yugi prayed to whatever deity listening that it wasn't because of something he had done, "I just got here!"

The other tech sighed and shook her head, "I know Yugi. I'm not angry at you, just the actors."

Yugi nearly sagged under his relief. "Oh thank god." He looked up at Anzu now that he knew the danger had passed and caught up with her. Now that he knew he wasn't going to be killed Yugi felt safe enough to walk beside her. "What's the matter then?"

"You know those two idiots, Honda and Otogi?" Anzu demanded, turning on Yugi with a vicious snarl. The other nodded vigorously, not wanting to piss Anzu off anymore than she already was, "They're the ones who're going to taste my boot when I _kick their teeth in_!"

"Do I dare ask why?" Yugi questioned as they arrived at the dressing room. During the entire trip, Anzu had been growing steadily redder in the face and he was beginning to fear that she would rupture a blood vessel at this rate.

"Honda wanted to look cool in front of Serenity, so he thought it would be a clever idea to dump a container full of hair gel in one of Jou's shoes! Oh he got the laughs he wanted when Jou put on his costume and sunk his foot into about three inches of gel." Anzu snarled. Yugi went pale at the thought as he suddenly understood why Anzu looked like she wanted to flay Honda.

Personally, Yugi was more tempted to strip him of all clothes and then drag him crotch-first across a path of broken glass. He told Anzu as much, but she replied with a reasonably tolerable answer – 'There's already too much to clean up. Don't forget Honda is full of blood.'

"Why would he do that?" Yugi demanded, just barely keeping a shrill note out of his voice.

"Why indeed?" Anzu snorted. Her blue eyes glittered angrily. "It gets worse though."

"Worse...?" Yugi asked numbly. How could that get any worse? They had a show at one thirty and it was almost noon now. He just hoped they could clean that shoe out and get it to dry before the curtain opened.

"Otogi wanted his five minutes to shine," Anzu gave the door to the dressing room a very dark look, "So naturally he had to do something crazier than what Honda did – consequentially making it stupider."

Yugi groaned and ducked his head into his hands. Otogi was a hot head who played Robin Hood's friend Will Scarlet and was notorious for challenging the other actors to act out combat duels. The actors allowed such a thing to go on since all the actors, even the tech crew, had been trained in weapon combat and fencing. Just so long as they were in an open area and being supervised by one of the Weapons Masters it was fine, after all it helped the actors get into character.

And Otogi _really_ loved to use his knives and swords.

Even more than those crazy dice he loved to tote around from his ears – a fashion statement that was completely lost on Yugi.

"Let me guess," Yugi muttered into his hands. He could feel a rock of certainty drop in his stomach, "He challenged Honda to a duel to gain 'the lady's' attention?"

At Anzu's grim nod, Yugi let out an audible groan. "Lord Almighty," He raked his hands through his hair and looked over at her. He hadn't even been here for fifteen minutes and he was already exhausted! "What happened?" He demanded. "Who's dead?"

"I'd tell you to sit down right now, but all of our chairs are currently being filled by actors," Anzu smiled thinly. It was a vague attempt to cheer the mood before she delivered what Yugi knew had to be a heavy blow. Yugi appreciated the effort all the same, but gestured for her to continue.

Anzu fumbled around in her bag for a hair tie before pulling her short brown hair back into a small ponytail. "You have to promise not to kill Otogi if I tell you." She looked at him sternly, "We don't have an understudy for Will Scarlet."

"If I were to cut him viciously in half we'd have a spare," Yugi said bluntly. Violet eyes looked up at his friend and he crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly. "Come on, tell me Anzu. I promise I won't flip." Much.

The last part went unsaid but Yugi was certain Anzu had picked up on it anyway.

"Otogi and Honda fought in the dressing room while Atemu was trying to stuff that crazy hair of his under his hat," Anzu eyed Yugi's similar hairstyle and winced at the phrasing of her words, "No offense meant."

Yugi waved it off as he felt a wave of concern wash over him. He felt a small tremor of fear grip him at the thought that something had happened to Atemu. "Anzu... What happened?" He asked softly.

Seeing her friend's distress, Anzu gripped Yugi's shoulders and smiled, "Don't worry about Atemu. He's fine. But the shoulder of his costume isn't. Otogi overreached and his blade caught underneath the edge of Atemu's sleeve and ripped it wide open."

Yugi visibly relaxed and leaned against the wall in relief.

At least until her words registered.

"_He did what_?" Yugi didn't even bother keeping his voice down. His shock was too great and his anger too pronounced. "I'm going to eviscerate that showoff!"

Anzu grabbed a hold of Yugi's shirt and gave him a firm shake. "No there will be no disemboweling while I'm around to stop you." Her eyes narrowed, "Even though I'm sorely tempted to unleash all terrifying four feet of you at Otogi–..."

Yugi pouted at the crack against his height.

" ...–Right now I need you to fix Atemu's shirt as best you can so I can go ahead and clean out Jou's shoe." Anzu looked at him firmly. Violet eyes turned to look up at Anzu sourly.

"What about the trees?" Yugi asked, looking for the better part like puppy that had been left out in the rain. After all he was being denied his sweet revenge against Otogi. It didn't help that Yugi was already feeling anxious about seeing Atemu again. His cheeks flushed as his traitorous mind drifted back to the previous night when the actor had kissed his forehead in farewell.

Yugi was crushing so hard it wasn't funny.

"Jou can't do anything until I fix his shoe so I'll get him to take care of the trees." Anzu looked over at Yugi and gave him a firm push towards the door. "Hurry with that fix Yugi, we only have two hours until the first show starts and we'll be running at a dead sprint all day long."

Great – he could hardly wait.

Yugi suppressed a sigh as he strode into the room where Atemu was waiting for him. The actor's ruby eyes fastened on Yugi the second he entered and he was vaguely reminded of a hawk keeping an eye on its prey before it struck. Yugi shifted awkwardly under that gaze before he approached the motionless actor.

Atemu was still wearing the torn shirt and scowling darkly from what had transpired to make such an ugly gash in his costume. However, as soon as his eyes landed on Yugi the actor's face softened into a smile. He chuckled at the horrified expression on Yugi's face as the tech caught sight of his torn sleeve, "I see you've noticed the terrible wound I've sustained from the battle."

"I'll kill them." Yugi replied back simply before sighing and going off to the corner of the room to fetch the sewing kit. He rummaged through the case before pulling out a small container of needles. He returned to Atemu's side and smiled patiently, "Alright, hold still and I'll pin the tear up. I don't want to risk tearing the shirt even wider so I'll have to sew it while it's still on you, sorry."

Yugi eyed the tear as the actor turned his back to the other. He clucked his tongue in disapproval and tugged at the green fabric to get it to lay straight. Slowly he began to pin the fabric back in place, sliding the needle through the grains of the fabric until it was aligned to Yugi's satisfaction.

"You cut it really close, didn't you?" Yugi said conversationally. The small talk was really meant to serve as a distraction to the tech so he didn't get caught up from being in such a close proximity to the attractive Atemu.

The small talk was really meant to serve as a distraction to the tech so he didn't get caught up from being in such a close proximity to the attractive Atemu.

"I suppose I did," Atemu admitted as his cheek lifted. It gave Yugi the impression that he was smirking, "I had to do a barrel roll over the table to escape those two lunatics though."

Yugi rolled his eyes but couldn't quite hide his grin. He could certainly imagine Atemu lunging out over a table so he could duck underneath a swinging blade. Yet another reason why Yugi was less than thrilled about using real weapons in a play comprised mostly of testosterone filled males. If anyone had to leap over a table to avoid being decapitated then Yugi would go as far to say there was a 'problem.'

"Oh, so you mean that you're a show off instead?" Yugi teased, "I see you're playing into your role of Robin Hood quite nicely."

Atemu smirked back challengingly, "Perhaps, but I think it would be far more accurate to call me the 'Living Incarnate of Neo.'"

"Sorry pal, but this isn't the Matrix," Yugi replied cheekily, "But maybe we can convince the director to put it on for the next show."

He gave Atemu a pointed jab with his needle and smiled innocently when the actor yelped in pain.

"What was _that_ for?" Atemu demanded as he attempted to suppress his flinch so the tech's needle wouldn't find its way into his arm a second time. He shot Yugi an irritable glare which the tech only smiled broadly in response.

Yugi shrugged his shoulders and flashed Atemu a winning grin, "I'm just proving you aren't Neo." He said simply.

Atemu narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "I fail to see how that relates to jabbing me in the arm with a needle?" He looked sorely tempted to rub the abused area but refrained from doing so simply because Yugi was still working on pinning his sleeve.

"If you were Neo, you probably would have done something ridiculous in retaliation," Yugi said simply as he slipped in another pin. Just a few more and he'd be done. Thank goodness. He had felt quite bad for poking Atemu with the needle, but it had just been a little prick and the other didn't seem to mind.

"Like what?" Atemu quirked a curious eyebrow at Yugi, his eyes clearly stated that he did not see the sense to Yugi's reasoning.

"Neo would have pulled some quadruple back flip off the table while using my head as a springboard, all to make his extravagant escape. Duh." Yugi replied seriously, almost as if the discussion was of the utmost importance. Atemu simply laughed at the explanation.

"He probably would have shot everyone in the building though," Atemu added with a slight smirk.

"So maybe it's a good thing you're not Neo then." Yugi laughed sheepishly as he thought about Atemu's words. The movie character did have a bit of a habit of leaving no one alive once he visited a place.

"Maybe. Although the being able to back flip off the table might be cool. I'll have to try once I don't have to worry about breaking my neck before a show." Atemu mused to himself. Yugi just laughed, grateful that the actor wasn't willing to try anything stupid to add to the crew's list of growing problems. They didn't need to cart their leading actor off to the hospital thanks to a literal broken leg.

The two lapsed onto silence as Yugi finally finished pinning the shirt together. He grabbed a needle and spool of thread so he could attempt to begin repairing the shirt. Yugi swore softly as he clumsily dropped the needle in an attempt to thread it. He dropped to his hands and knees and began to search for the silver object.

A soft rustle signaled Atemu dropping down to help Yugi search, and soon between the two of them the needle was quickly uncovered. Yugi smiled at the attractive actor and blushed sheepishly, "Thanks Atemu." He smiled shyly.

The actor held out the slender pin to Yugi, "No problem Little One." He said softly. Yugi's blush grew more pronounced and he reached for the needle. However his attempt was stopped when tan hands covered his.

"Wait Yugi," Atemu said softly, pulling Yugi forward by his captured hands, "Let me help you."

Yugi's face exploded into a blush that threatened to permanently stain his face a dark shade of red. He tried to fight it back, but the feel of Atemu's warm, strong hands over his made it a pointless endeavor. He looked up at Atemu, feeling his heart rebel violently against his ribcage.

Amethyst eyes lifted to meet that scorching crimson gaze and Yugi froze. He could see his reflection in the actor's cerise eyes, immobile and trapped. Just like how a rat would be caught in the stare of a cobra, Yugi was left stationary. Finding himself left with only the most basic of bodily functions, Yugi bobbled his head in a nod. Atemu's gaze grew concerned – almost as if he was worried Yugi had lost what little sanity this play had left him with.

Perhaps Yugi had already lost his sanity. That would be his only explanation for why Atemu was holding their joined hands so close between their bodies. If that was the case, Yugi sure as hell didn't need his sanity.

'_Sanity is overrated anyway_,' Yugi thought dreamily.

Yugi watched as Atemu placed the needle between their joined hands, while his spare one guided Yugi to threading the needle. Yugi's heart hammered in his chest as he tried unsuccessfully not to focus on the way Atemu's fingers brushed and caressed the sensitive skin on the back of his hand. Was it intentional? Yugi didn't know, but the telling smirk on Atemu's face had a jolt of burning heat running down the tech's spine until he felt dizzy.

Who knew threading a needle could be so, so... _stimulating_?

That was certainly one word for it.

Every nerve in Yugi's body felt as if they had been doused in kerosene and set on fire. It was alarming that a few simple touches from Atemu could send Yugi's heart racing. The actor had only shared a few deceptively innocent touches, against the back of his hand no less! Yugi's head spun. Was he looking too into this?

They were just threading a damn needle!

But that smirk on Atemu's face screamed something else...

Yugi nearly sagged in relief as the two of them finally managed to get the blasted thread to go through the eye of the needle. Atemu pulled away with a telling smirk that had Yugi flushing to the roots of his hair.

Okay, so maybe it _wasn't_ so innocent after all...

Soon Yugi managed to shove aside his whirling thoughts and heated blush in favor of getting back to work. A chuckling Atemu was herded into a raised seat that was normally used for applying makeup so Yugi could begin re-stitching the sleeve.

Luckily it had been cut across the seam so it was an easy fix. Yugi silently praised whatever merciful god was listening. The rip could have been so much worse. He worked readily on it, enjoying the opportunity to be near Atemu and talk with the actor. This would probably be the only thing even resembling a break Yugi would see all day.

He and Atemu both began to chat back and forth, finding out little details about each other. Yugi had been surprised to find out Atemu lived with his cousin, Seto, who was going out with Jonouchi. Atemu had explained that they had been together for nearly three years already and it was still going strong.

Yugi could only smile and voice his own exclamations of shock. Three years. That was a long time. It was obvious by the way Atemu's eyes shone that he thought it was a long time too. Unspoken was the meaning, that Seto and Jou loved one another. The actor's lips curled at the corners in a proud smirk. Apparently he thought Jou lasting so long was an impressive feat by itself.

Yugi had to agree with that thought.

He had seen Atemu's cousin on previous occasions when he had come to pick the actor up from rehearsal for a few days. Atemu's car had been out of commission for a few days and Seto had to lend out the services of his car. The man was only a few years older than Atemu, but he seemed much more grown-up thanks to his serious personality.

If Yugi were to compare the two cousin's side to side, he would not have been able to tell they were related. Sure, there were a few similarities here and there which showed the two were family, but it was like comparing fire to ice.

He was certain Seto was just as passionate as Atemu, but they showed it in different ways. Yugi couldn't see what the appeal was for such a cold person, but apparently there was something beneath the surface which attracted Jou.

"There, I'm done." Yugi announced and ran his hands down Atemu's shoulders to smooth down the fabric. He wanted to take advantage of any opportunity to stay with the actor longer. With some reluctance, Yugi pulled himself away from the other so Atemu wouldn't grow suspicious of how the tech was lingering.

"What do you think of the fix?" Yugi asked anxiously. He watched the dark man roll his shoulder experimentally. Yugi held his breath and tried not to watch the actor move through his full range of motions, testing out if the repair would stay.

"You did a fine job," Atemu praised with a curve to his lips. He twisted his head in an attempt to see the stitching which offered him very little success.

Laughing, Yugi guided Atemu over to the full length mirror. It was bolted to the wall in the far corner of the dressing room, a good idea considering the chaos which regularly occurred during the plays. Otogi and Honda's mock fight had only been a small scratch on the surface of the insanity that Yugi liked to call 'Theatre.' As most thespians were incredibly superstitious, breaking a mirror would be very bad. That was why Yugi was grateful the director had thought to bolt it safely to the wall.

"A marvelous job indeed," Atemu amended himself. Ruby eyes fixated on what had once been a tear before Yugi got his hands on it. Now it was stitched together in a simple pattern that could realistically work with the medieval setting of Robin Hood.

"It's kind of loose, so go easy on it." Yugi smiled, "But the important thing is that no one will notice the difference from the audience. I'll have to take it home so I can do a better job later." Yugi was vaguely aware that he was babbling in response to the actor's compliment. It only took a few words from Atemu to send Yugi into a mindless puddle.

"I'll do my best not to ruin your hard work," Thankfully Atemu didn't seem to notice Yugi's ramble – or if he did, it was obvious he didn't mind. The darker of the two look-a-likes flashed a wicked smirk, "I look forward to seeing you backstage." He purred softly.

Just like he had blushed the previous day, Yugi's face ignited into an inferno. He managed to squeak out a quick 'excuse me' before he was forced to turn tail and run out of the dressing room, face aflame.

Atemu was left chuckling at the tech's back, never removing his eyes from Yugi.

--::--

Yugi slumped in a boneless mass after they were finished with the shows for the day. He was completely exhausted after running two shows back to back. As far as Yugi knew, Anzu wasn't fairing nearly as well as he was, falling into a dead sleep in the costume rack as soon as the last show was over.

At least Yugi was still conscious – although he had to admit he was only awake because he still had to fix Atemu's shirt.

He groaned at the thought.

Yugi was waiting for Atemu to finish cleaning up so he could get the shirt and go home. It had been a long day and the tech just wanted to rest. He smiled to himself as he thought of the other. Atemu had done a wonderful job during the play. Acting once again with such passion and authority one would have thought he was a king instead of a vigilante thief. He never failed to put on a flawless performance, something which never ceased to both amaze and astound Yugi.

The other actors had already begun to file out, so Yugi knew it wouldn't be long until Atemu got there. In fact, Yugi thought he could hear the other coming now.

Tiredly Yugi sat up from his seat and turned just in time to see a glum looking Atemu walk in carrying the costume's shirt folded neatly over his arm. Yugi frowned in concern as he saw the expression on the other's face.

"Atemu, what's wrong?" Yugi demanded as soon as his friend came within earshot.

Atemu's lips curved into a small smile and he handed the costume over to Yugi, "Don't concern yourself over it Little One – it's nothing."

Yugi could certainly very well tell it was more than just 'nothing' and he quickly slipped off his seat to catch Atemu before the actor could move too far away. He ignored the way his legs seemed to quake and melt underneath his weight thanks to his exhaustion. Impulsively he reached forward and snagged a hold of Atemu's sleeve.

"Wait," Yugi pleaded, looking up at Atemu worriedly, "If you're a problem, maybe I can help."

A slight frown marred Atemu's face. "I doubt it Yugi, you don't need to worry about me."

Yugi huffed in frustration and let go of the other's sleeve, feeling slightly put off and hurt that Atemu had turned down his assistance so swiftly. He set his jaw stubbornly and gave the actor a flat look.

"You're just as stubborn as I am, you hypocrite," Yugi said bluntly, ignoring the way Atemu's eyebrows shot to his hairline.

"Why am I a hypocrite?" Atemu demanded without heat, "Because I don't want to burden you with my problems?"

Yugi quirked an eyebrow and grinned at the actor, "Bingo."

"Excuse me?" Now Atemu looked confused, not having expected Yugi to agree so readily.

Yugi cleared his throat and pitched his voice to a lower octave, doing a poor job of imitating Atemu's voice.

"'You'll do everything on your own if it means you won't be an inconvenience to someone,'" Yugi quoted, doing his best to set his shoulders straight. He attempted to look as serious as possible – yet he only yielded unsuccessful results.

Atemu pitched back and let out an undignified snort of laughter, surprised and incredibly amused that Yugi had slammed his own mysterious advice back into his face. He supposed it wasn't all that mysterious anymore. Yugi had done a fine job of ripping that enigma apart.

Yugi felt a flush of happiness at the sight of Atemu's smile, but he quickly sobered when he realized he still didn't know what was bothering Atemu. He reached up to hook his fingers gently around the hem to the actor's sleeve a second time.

"Will you please let me help you?" He asked softly, afraid that Atemu would refuse a second time.

A patient smile quickly followed Yugi's motions and Atemu gestured for Yugi to take a seat, noticing the tech's exhaustion. "Like I said, it's not a big problem, and I wouldn't know how you could help." Atemu gently pushed the confused Yugi down into a seat and sat beside him. "A pipe burst in my kitchen and flooded my apartment. I just don't have anywhere to stay for the night."

Yugi looked at Atemu in confusion, quirking his head as a thought occurred to him, "Couldn't you stay with Joey?"

Atemu rolled his eyes and arched an eyebrow at the tech, "Not with Seto around. I have no wish to be sexiled in the middle of the night."

Yugi had the grace to flush embarrassedly at that.

The tech flushed awkwardly and looked up at Atemu, "Well..." He began shyly, "My grandpa is off on some 'secret expedition' to the grocery store, so he'll probably be gone all week."

Yugi couldn't quite hide his brilliant flush that stole over his cheeks, "You can crash at my place for the night – only if you want to that is."

Atemu looked at Yugi in surprise as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing, "You'd be willing to do put up with me for the night?" He asked, "I won't bother you?"

Yugi blushed and nodded. Oh he certainly doubted the attractive Lead could _ever_ be a bother to anyone, much less Yugi.

A sudden thought struck the tech and a small mischievous grin flashed across his face. He looked over at Atemu sweetly, his evil smile blending into an innocent expression. "Oh you'll be no bother at all, but-..." He trailed off as if considering something important before he shook his head, "No, never mind. It's nothing."

Atemu frowned in concern, "What is it Little One? Is there a problem with me staying with you?"

Yugi shrugged and smiled unconcerned at Atemu, "Of course not 'Temu!" He risked being a bit cheeky towards the actor; after all he was feeling on the playful side, "I just have this really big, vicious dog who hates anyone who isn't white." **[1]**

"Ah..." Atemu said in a bit of a daze.

"Don't worry, we'll keep him chained up, but there's always the chance he could break free from his restraints," Yugi continued, seemingly oblivious to Atemu's slight discomfort with the subject.

"I see..."

"If he sinks his teeth in your leg, just scream really loud okay?" Yugi smiled over at Atemu, "I'll go get the stick and we can _**probably**_ pry his jaws loose enough to so you can slide your leg out with a minimal amount of muscles tearing."

"He sounds like an angel..."

"Oh he is!" Yugi laughed brightly and jerked his head towards the exit, "You ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Atemu looked almost as if he was mentally preparing himself for battle.

"Good," Yugi tugged on the actor's wrist, smothering his quiet laughs as best he could as he lead the way to the parking lot.

Who knew Kuriboh could inspire such absolute terror in a dark man such as Atemu.

Of course Yugi wasn't going to tell the stressed looking actor that his puppy was actually an eight-pound toy shi-tzu with a lovable personality and playful streak. It would be far more rewarding to see Atemu's face when he was left looking for Yugi's supposedly vicious dog.

--::--

_**[1] – A friend pulled this stunt on me once. "My dog doesn't like Hispanics." Turns out the dog just doesn't like Hispanic men. Lucky me. They cleverly call him 'Angel.' I stole that sentence and pulled it on another friend who was staying over. It was completely untrue as I had a completely non-lethal toy shi-tzu that loved everything that had a pulse.**_

_**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Most of the stuff here actually happened.**_

_**Yes, we used real weapons in our play – which caused the 'awesome factor' to sky rocket. Although we ran into a lot of issues with the swords. One of which was mentioned above. It's only the beginning though, I assure you.**_

_**I hate those damn trees...**_

_**By the way, two techs aren't good for a play. Ever. For a reason you'll find out in the next chapter. **_

_**Drop me a line to tell me what you think!**_

_**ZB**_


End file.
